South china sea

It is time for China to do a #CHexit from the disputed waters, social media users and activists say. Inspired by the Brexit term coined for Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the catchy new reference for China has quickly gained currency on Facebook, Twitter and protest placards ahead of Tuesday's verdict on Beijing's claims to most of the sea. Activists demand #Chexit a day before tribunal decision - Inquirer http://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/https://t.co/WFujHJyPh2 — Kate Yamzon (@angkathy) July 11, 2016 "We ask our friends from other countries, especially our brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia, to call for a #CHexit," Mong Palatino said as he protested with a small group of people outside the Chinese consulate in Manila. "China should stop bullying its neighbours." #CHexit it is! — Clavine May Tanque (@ClavineTanque) July 11, 2016 On social media, some of the messages were more blunt. "China, get out of Philippine territory! #CHEXIT," wrote … [Read more...] about China urged to #CHexit from ‘South China Sea’

In a wide-ranging speech on foreign policy to USmilitary cadets at West Point, Obama said that the United States shouldshun isolationism and that its military must be prepared for crises. "Regionalaggression that goes unchecked -- whether it's southern Ukraine, or theSouth China Sea, or anywhere else in the world -- will ultimatelyimpact our allies, and could draw in our military," Obama said. ButObama emphasized caution on any decision to use force and said:"American influence is always stronger when we lead by example." "It'sa lot harder to call on China to resolve its maritime disputes underthe Law of the Sea Convention when the United States Senate has refusedto ratify it -- despite the repeated insistence of our top militaryleaders that the treaty advances our national security," Obama said. "That's not leadership; that's retreat. That's not strength; that's weakness," Obama said. Senatorsof the rival Republican Party have refused to ratify the treaty, sayingthat the UN … [Read more...] about Obama warns against ‘aggression’ in South China Sea

Although Typhoon Rammasun may bring violent weather conditions, it also may bring an end, or at least some respite, to the dangerous tension and clashes between China and Vietnam over the South China Sea, according to an expert.
An Australian expert, Prof. Carl Thayer, spoke to Dan Tri/Dtinews about the issue:
Carl Thayer
Typhoon Rammasun is now heading towards the South China Sea. Will the typhoon have any impact on China's illegally-placed oil rig, HD-981?
It's likely that China had the typhoon season in mind when they first announced that the HD-981 oil rig would conduct commercial operations until August 15. China took on a risky position by deploying the huge drilling platform and so many surface ships in one area. Not all of them were designed to withstand a major storm. It is impossible to know the precise trajectory of Typhoon Rammasun or its intensity at the moment. It must cross over the Philippines, which usually causes a typhoon to loose strength. Current estimates … [Read more...] about Typhoon calms political storm over South China Sea

Beijing's claim to almost the whole of the South China Sea is "problematic" and the Asian giant's actions have raised tensions, a senior US official said Tuesday on the eve of high-stakes talks.
A China Coast Guard ship (top) and a Philippine supply boat engage in a stand off as the Philippine boat attempts to reach the Second Thomas Shoal, a remote South China Sea reef claimed by both countries, on March 29, 2014.
China also disputes islands with Japan -- a US security ally that Washington is treaty-bound to defend if attacked -- and officials travelling with Secretary of State John Kerry said they had "heightened concerns" about "the readiness of claimants to utilise military, paramilitary, coastguard forces in furtherance of their claims".
Kerry arrived in Beijing Tuesday for the sixth Strategic and Economic Dialogue, billed as the main annual meeting between the world's two largest economies.
The two days of tough discussions will seek to chart a path ahead in turbulent … [Read more...] about Beijing’s South China Sea claim ‘problematic’: US official

An US official proposed Wednesday that China and Southeast Asian nations call a moratorium on actions seen as provocative in a bid to cool tensions in the South China Sea.
Danny Russel, the top US diplomat on East Asia, said he made the suggestion as "food for thought" and not as a formal proposal as he met regional counterparts in Myanmar to prepare for a regional summit later this year. "The claimant states themselves could identify the kind of behavior that they each find provocative when others do it, and offer to put a voluntary freeze on those sorts of actions on the condition that all the other claimants would agree to do so similarly," Russel, an assistant secretary of state, told reporters on a conference call. "So for example, would they be willing to make a pledge as simple as not to occupy any of the land features in the South China Sea that are currently unoccupied?" The United States has pushed for years for a code of conduct to lay out rules to prevent the … [Read more...] about US proposes South China Sea provocation freeze

Despite the shortcomings of the international legal framework regarding territorial disputes at sea, experts concur that international law plays a critical role in securing peace and stability at sea. This was the unanimous agreement reached by international legal experts at a workshop entitled “Navigating towards the free and opens seas of Asia: The role of international law in maintaining good order at sea” held yesterday in Hanoi. The most important piece of international law in this area is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is hampered by generally inadequate language and a lack of enforcement mechanisms.Given the recent escalation of tensions in the littoral Asia-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea, most countries seek to establish ‘good order’ in the regional seas via multi-lateral action such as the formalisation of ‘code of conducts.’ However, according to Abhijit Singh, Head of Maritime Policy … [Read more...] about Rule of law needs to be respected in the South China Sea: experts

US Secretary of State John Kerry says he is concerned by the pace and scope of China's reclamation projects in contested areas of the South China Sea.
He was speaking at a press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with Brunei, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Mr Wang said that China was determined to safeguard its sovereignty.
Mr Kerry is due to hold a series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top government officials in the Chinese capital.
US officials had been briefing in advance that Mr Kerry was planning to deliver a stern message to China about what is alleged to be its huge land reclamation operation around some of the disputed reefs and islands it controls in the South China Sea.
At the joint press conference, Mr Kerry said that one of the strengths of the modern US China relationship was that the two sides could speak candidly … [Read more...] about Kerry: US concerned by China’s actions in South China Sea

It urges parties to adhere by South China Sea ruling. The U.S. is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on an international court ruling that denied China's claims to the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea), several U.S. administration officials said on Wednesday. "What we want is to quiet things down so these issues can be addressed rationally instead of emotionally," said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic messages. Some were sent through U.S. embassies abroad and foreign missions in Washington, while others were conveyed directly to top officials by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior officials, the sources said. "This is a blanket call for quiet, not some attempt to rally the region against China, which would play into a false narrative that the U.S. is leading a coalition to contain China," … [Read more...] about US launches quiet diplomacy to ease South China Sea tensions

At the court (Source: BBC) Hanoi (VNA) – There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea area enclosed by the nine-dash line as ruled by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands. The ruling was adopted on July 12 for the Philippines’s lawsuit against China on a dispute in the South China Sea (known as the East Sea in Vietnam). On the day, the PCA also issued a press release on the case. The following is the full text of the press release. “THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRATION (THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES V. THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) The Hague, 12 July 2016 The Tribunal Renders Its Award A unanimous Award has been issued today by the Tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the “Convention”) in the arbitration instituted by the Republic of the Philippines against the People’s Republic of China. This arbitration … [Read more...] about PCA’s press release on South China Sea arbitration

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh on July 7 wrote an article on the country's daily Matichon, opposing the wrongful view of Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Ning Fukui on the East Sea published earlier on the same newspaper. Following is the full text of Ambassador Thanh's article under the title "Who is the real trouble-maker in the South China Sea ?" - a few words to Ambassador Ning Fukui.
A harasser crying "Stop harassing!"
On June 23, 2014, Ambassador Ning Fukui wrote in the Matichon Daily expressing his opinions on the issue of the South China Sea - called "the East Sea" by Vietnam. With a view to a better-informed public opinion on this particular issue, I would like to present here some facts and information to help the Daily's readers have a more complete assessment of "Who is the trouble-maker in the South China Sea?".
First, the information Ambassador Ning used in his article to argue that Vietnam "disrupted" China's activities was, in fact, copied from … [Read more...] about Who is the real trouble-maker in the South China Sea?